OKLAHOMA CITY, Dec. 13, 2017 – Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw today was named the 2017 Warren Spahn Award winner as the best left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB).
The Spahn Award is presented annually to MLB’s top lefty and is based on a pitcher’s wins, strikeouts and earned run average (ERA). The award is named after Oklahoman and National Baseball Hall of Famer Warren Spahn, who holds the MLB record of 363 wins as a left-handed pitcher.
“For me, it's humbling to be put in the same category as some of baseball's greatest pitchers,” said Kershaw. “The recipients of the Warren Spahn Award are players who have influenced and inspired so many who love our game of baseball. It's an incredible honor to be selected as the 2017 recipient of this prestigious award. Thank you to the Bricktown Rotary Club for recognizing my work on the field. I'm thrilled and grateful for this honor.”
Kershaw is coming off a season in which he posted 18 wins and a 2.31 ERA. Kershaw also recorded 202 strikeouts in 175 innings pitched. Kershaw joins Hall of Famer Randy Johnson as the award’s only four-time winners. Kershaw also won the award in 2011, 2013 and 2014.
“This was another impressive season for Clayton,” said Greg Spahn, son of the late Warren Spahn. “Every time he takes the field, Clayton reminds us that he’s a special ballplayer. He is one of the most dominant pitchers in the game and it’s easy to see why he joins Randy Johnson as a four-time Warren Spahn Award winner. My family and I look forward handing Clayton his fourth trophy.”
Kershaw will be formally recognized Jan. 31 at the Warren Spahn Award Gala, hosted by Oklahoma City’s Bricktown Rotary Club.
“We have enjoyed hosting Clayton and his family in Oklahoma City on three previous occasions and can’t wait to see him again,” said Chuck Shirley, Warren Spahn Award Gala co-chairman. “He is clearly one of the best pitchers in the game today and a worthy recipient of this award.”
Ticket information and sponsorship opportunities for the Gala at Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club can be found at www.okcspahnawards.com, or by contacting Brittany Leemaster at brittany@mickeymantlesteakhouse.com.
“We are thrilled a member of the Dodgers family will return to Oklahoma City to once again accept the Warren Spahn Award,” said Oklahoma City Dodgers President/General Manager Michael Byrnes. “Clayton Kershaw has continually set the bar for excellence among Major League pitchers both on and off the field. We were fortunate to see that excellence on the field in August when over 13,000 fans came from near and far to watch him pitch, producing the third-largest crowd in the history of Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.”
Past Warren Spahn Award winners include: Jon Lester (2016), Dallas Keuchel (2015), Kershaw (2011, 2013, 2014), Gio Gonzales (2012); David Price (2010); CC Sabathia (2007–2009); Johan Santana (2004, 2006); Dontrelle Willis (2005); Andy Pettitte (2003); and Randy Johnson (1999–2002).